There’s an entire history of KFC in Asia that Americans don’t generally know about. KFC is a Christmas tradition in Japan, and within a year of opening its first KFC in China, it was KFC’s top-selling restaurant in the world, turning into a restaurant open 24 hours a day and a food delivery behemoth in China to boot. Colonel Sanders is far more beloved across the Pacific than in his home country, is the point, so while we get fried chicken socks, the Chinese are getting a full-on KFC smartphone.
The limited-edition Huawai smartphone, to be fair, is reasonably priced at $162 for a decent mid-range smartphone. Aside from having Colonel Sanders embossed on the back, you also get a limited-edition app where users can help decide what’s played over the loudspeakers at their local KFC. In other words, you get access to the jukebox as you enjoy your fried chicken and other local specialties.
It’s a giggle, sure, but it’s also an interesting reflection of how brands shift over time and with location. It’s difficult to imagine a KFC smartphone being anything other than a stunt, over here, but it makes sense in China. As the world grows smaller, these tiny cultural differences are going to become more and more visible, and it will be fascinating to see which endure and which change yet again.
(via The Verge)